The Coven
by StrollingPlayer
Summary: Vampire Au. Students have been disappearing or turning up dead for the last year and half at Winslow University. Political science major Mike Weston thinks it's all just the work of a serial killer until he unexpectedly finds himself in the middle of a vampire feud between Ryan Hardy, a FBI agent who disappeared years ago, and Winslow's literature professor Joe Carroll.
1. Chapter 1

**This was written for a prompt over at the following kink meme on livejournal ( . ?view=150770) Will mostly take place with season 1 characters but I think I will introduce some of the characters from season 2 later on. **

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_"In other news the body of Sophie Allans was founds earlier today in an alley. Police have yet to comment but speculation is already occurring that this murder is related to several other disappearances and murders of Winslow Students over the past year and a half..."_

Mike Weston immediately turned up the volume at this news as he sat on his bed eating a bowl of cereal that was serving as the bulk of his dinner that night. Like most Winslow students he had been following the story of his missing and murdered classmates. However, unlike the other students Mike was attempting to analyze the story the way a law enforcement agent would, in an attempt to use what he was learning from his Criminal Justice minor.

Just as they were beginning to interview the people who had been around when the body was discovered he heard the sound of the bathroom opening. He glanced at the other end of the room to where his roommate, Troy, was standing wearing cologne that Mike could smell from where he was sitting on the other side of the room.

"Where are you headed," Mike asked casually, turning his attention back to the tv screen.

" You mean where are _we _headed."

Mike raised one brow quizzically at him. "We?"

"Yes, we," he replied, striding over to him. " You're always holed up in the room reading or watching law and order re-runs. It's time for you to have a little bit of a social life for once."

" I have a social life," Mike said petulantly, frowning.

"The weekly floor meet-ups don't count." Troy snatched the remote up from where it lay on Mike's bed and clicked the power , cutting the news reporter off mid-sentence.

"Hey,I was watching that." Mike scowled at him and attempted to grab the remote back.

Troy held the remote away from his reaching hand. " Come on man, I'll even buy you some real food for dinner while we're out." He looked down at Mike's now soggy cereal pointedly.

Mike's mind immediately thought of a giant slice of pizza and he let out a sigh as he felt his resolve begin to crumble. "Fine, but let's be honest here. You just really need a wingman don't you?"

Troy grinned in response. "Well, you do have the best puppy dog face I've ever seen."

Mike rolled his eyes. "Fine. Just let me get changed first."

"Cool. You want to borrow some of my cologne?"

Mike shook his head freverently."Noooo."

Half an hour later Mike found himself at, The Library, one of the most popular clubs for Winslow students. He followed Troy closely along the edges of the packed dance floor, the music so loud that he could feel the floor vibrating through his shoes. They were searching in vain for an empty table or booth but seeing as it was nine o'clock on a Friday night they were forced to squeeze in on an empty spot at the bar.

"So, I believe I was promised food in return for coming out tonight," Mike said, settling onto the bar stool and looking at Troy expectantly.

"Yea, yea," his friend muttered in response before catching the bartenders attention and ordering a slice of pizza.

Mike drummed his fingers on the bar top as he waited for his food. Looking around the club with a blank expression he began to feel very out of place around all his laughing, dancing peers.

"What exactly are we supposed to do here," Mike asked, turning to look at Troy in the seat next to him, " because I can't dance at all."

Troy, who had been gazing around the room with a much more analytical gaze, looked back at him with a sly grin. " I know that's going to be your thing, though. I ask a pretty girl to dance then ask her if one of her friends will take pity on my poor pal and teach him how to dance."

Mike looked at him skeptically. "My gimmick is that I suck at dancing?"

"Hey, you have to work with what you got, and what you have is zero dancing skills." At that moment he looked past Mike's shoulder at someone across the room and began waving with a huge grin on his face. Mike turned to see a couple of girls sitting at a booth. He remembered seeing them in one of his classes though he couldn't quite put a name to their faces.

"I'm going to go over and break the ice while you eat," Troy said before getting up and heading over to the smiling girls.

Mike's hunger, however, was soon overcome by anxiety at the prospect of socializing with a couple of pretty girls he was positive he'd never talked to before, despite having classes with them. He'd been so concentrated on school and his future career he'd never really learned how to juggle a social life and school the way Troy had.

Mike once again began to drum his fingers, nervously this time, his hunger forgotten as the bartender placed his plate of food in front of him. He stole a quick glance over to where Troy was. His friend was now sitting at the table with the girls chatting easily among them. Troy caught his eye and grinned at him. Eager to join his friend despite his nervousness, Mike quickly began devouring his food when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head to see a tall blonde girl standing next to him. For a split second he entertained the idea she wanted to dance until he noticed the man standing behind her.

"Excuse me," she shouted over the music, "can you help me get my boyfriend out to our car? I think he's about to pass out."

Mike glanced back at the man standing behind her and noticed the glazed look in his eyes and the constant wobble he seemed to have.

"Yea, no problem." Mike stood from his seat and they both took her boyfriend by the arm as they led him past the bar and dance floor towards the exit. Once outside the man began to stumble even more, to the point where Mike almost fell himself. The girl cursed

"I think he's going to puke. Here, let's get him to the side of the building so he doesn't vomit where everyone walks."

"Sure," Mike grunted, struggling to hold the man up now.

They slowly turned left towards the side closest to them and somehow made it to the corner of the building right next to the mouth of an alley. They lowered the man gently against the wall, though the man probably wouldn't have known if they did otherwise. Mike frowned as he watched the man's head loll from side to side while a small groan escaped from his lips.

"I think we should call an ambulance or at least get one of the bouncers. This guy looks like he has other problems besides just being drunk." Mike looked up from the man, and to his shock saw the girl smiling, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

"Yea, I'd definitely say he has other problems."

Mike scowled. "Listen, he needs—" Mike was suddenly cut off by someone grabbing the back of his shirt and dragging him backwards into the alley. Mike let out a yell of surprise before having someone's hand clamped tightly over his mouth while an arm snaked around his midsection, crushing him to the person's body and making it even more difficult to breathe. Despite this Mike still thrashed and squirmed in an attempt to break free, but the person's arm didn't even budge. His fists hit harmlessly against his assailant's arm and his feet kicked uselessly at the ground.

He could feel his attacker's breath on his neck and his eyes widened in shock as the person sank their teeth into his flesh. Mike let out a muffled scream and felt his stomach twist at the gruesome realization that the person was drinking his blood. Mike struggled more than ever but it was just as useless as before. His limbs began to grow heavier and his mind became dimmer as the person drank from him and it wasn't long before he just hung limply in the person's arms. This didn't bother him though, any sensation including pain felt distant to him and his mind was so hazy that it hadn't quite caught up to the fact that he was dying. The only thing Mike could think of was how tired he was, desperately wishing for the comfort of his bed in his dorm room

Mike had become so lethargic that when he noticed someone screaming it took him a moment to realize that it was his attacker. Before he knew it his attacker dropped him and he fell face first to the ground, his head hitting the pavement with a painful thud. Mike managed to turn his head to the side, but other than that all he could do was lie there as more screams reached his ears, this time punctuated by curses. The screaming cut off abruptly, leaving nothing but the sound of the heavy bass spilling from the club doors around the corner.

Mike knew he should call for help but the only thing he could manage was to silently open and close his mouth like a gaping fish as he gasped for air. A pair of black boots came into his line of vision and he watched apprehensively as the person knelt down, placing a hand on his shoulder.

_Please, no more_, he begged silently. _Just let me die in peace._

" Hey, kid, are you alright," a voice asked softly.

Mike let out a small groan in response. The person leaned over him and grabbed his other shoulder before gently turning him over onto his back. From what little he could see in the dark the man looked to be in his early forties with a thin, angular face and a shock of blonde hair.

The man shook his shoulder roughly eliciting another groan from Mike. "Come on kid, stay with me." It was strange but Mike thought the man sounded almost desperate as he tried to keep him awake.

"Just stay awake a little longer I'm calling 911." Mike hardly cared at this point though. His vision was quickly beginning to darken around the edges and he felt more than ever the urge to sleep pulling him down

Just before everything could go black, however, Mike felt something being shoved up against his mouth and a warm, sweetish liquid began dribbling down his throat. Curiously, Mike began drinking and swallowing the liquid that was filling his mouth and found himself feeling better with each drop. He slowly started to become aware again causing the startling realization that it was the man's wrist he was drinking from.

The man pulled his wrist away and much to his disgust Mike had to resist the urge to pull the wrist back to his mouth and continue drinking. He wasn't quite sure he'd have the strength to anyway. Mike no longer felt like he was going to pass out but he still felt extremely weak and tired.

"Who are you," he asked, his voice throaty and raw.

The man ran a hand over his eyes, looking just as tired as Mike felt. "My name's Ryan. Look kid I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to take you with me."

"To where?" Mike felt fear beginning to slowly creep its way back in like a thief in the night, causing his heart to speed back up.

"It's nowhere bad, I promise. Let yourself sleep and I'll explain everything when you wake up."

Mike wanted to argue more, but before he could Ryan somehow managed to scoop him up in his arms as if he weighed little more than a child. Ryan carried him out toward the opposite end of alley and around the block to where a small black car was parked on the side of the street.

Ryan pulled open the passenger door and carefully set Mike onto the seat.

"Seriously kid, get some sleep, your body needs it right now," Ryan said as he buckled Mike in.

Mike ignored him, determined to see where he was being taken. He somehow doubted that Ryan would hurt him since he did save him, but knowing where he was being taken by a complete stranger couldn't hurt. Unfortunately though after Ryan started the car and began driving Mike couldn't help but nod off as the hum of the engine lulled him to sleep.

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**Sorry if Mike and Troy seem a little OOC in this but I figured since they're college aged they would act a little differently. I'll try to update as frequently as possible but school might make that a little difficult**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, real life hasn't been leaving me in the mood to write lately.**

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Chapter Two

Ryan sat at the kitchen table, a slight crease in between his eyebrows as he mulled over the contents of Michael Weston's wallet. It was the usual things you'd expect to find. A debit card, cash, driver's license, student I.D., and a small family photo. It was the last two he couldn't stop staring at.

His school ID revealed that he was a Sophmore with the intended major of political science. That meant he was just a little bit older than Ryan had thought. The kid had such a young face he'd been sure that Michael was just a college freshman or younger even. In the photo he stood with his parents and what had to be his brothers. There were three of them, all towering over Michael who was holding his high school diploma proudly. Ryan's heart sank at the sight of his beaming face.

The kid would probably never have a reason to smile like that again. He would never finish his degree and walk across the stage to graduate from college. There would be no future career or family waiting for him, just an endless stretch of time where he will be forced to live in the shadows still looking like he was a teenager. Sure he could attempt to continue living the life he had, but from what Ryan had heard and seen himself that never worked out for vampires that tried. They always slipped up and killed someone close to them or were no longer able to maintain the thread of lies necessary to keep what they were a secret.

_You should have just left him alone,_ Ryan berated himself. _You're no doctor, if you had just called an ambulance he could have made it without being turned._

"Could you turn the self-loathing down a notch, please? I can practically see the guilt coming off you in waves."

Ryan twisted around in his seat at the sound of the voice and saw Debra standing in front of the entrance to the kitchen, arms folded. She had her up in a messy bun and a disapproving frown on her face. "You haven't stopped brooding since you brought him here, Ryan. Stop beating yourself up so much."

Ryan opened his mouth up to defend himself but then closed it again before sighing. He knew better than to try and deny it. Debra had a way of reading even the most closed off people and it wasn't like he was exactly subtle when he got into a mood like the one he was currently in.

Debra unfolded her arms and walked over to stand beside Ryan. She peered at Michael's photo and school I.D. from over his shoulder. " Young, smart, and just starting to come into the world. He seems exactly like the kind of person Joe would try to recruit, especially now when he's trying to rebuild his coven."

"They weren't trying to turn him," Ryan said, the sound of his own voice odd to his ears. He'd hardly spoken since bringing Michael back with him a day ago. After giving Debra and everyone a brief summary of what happened he'd put an unconscious Michael in one of the spare bedrooms and simply wandered into the kitchen to stew in his own thoughts. He had attempted to do research on the latest victims, including Michael, but his mind refused to stay focused.

"They were just feeding," Ryan continued, turning in his chair to look up at Debra fully. "One guy was completely drained and Michael was getting pretty damned close. Those two clearly had no intention of bringing either one of them back to Joe to be turned."

A small creased appeared between Debra's eyebrow's as she stared at Ryan thoughtfully. "Seems a bit sloppy to just be feeding in an alleyway right next to a popular club. They might have been newer. Did you recognize either of them as missing students?"

Ryan shook his head. "No, but I haven't finished looking through all the missing person reports for the Winslow students yet. One of them looked a little old to be a student though so it's possible they may have just been too stupid to know better."

"Or maybe they're just getting cocky? We don't know how much Joe has rebuilt his coven so far. It's likely he's recruited from more than just the students at the University."

Ryan slumped down further in the chair, sighing deeply as he imagined all the recent missing person reports they would probably spend hours going through. "Probably, he did have a variety of people last time. If Joe has rebuilt his numbers they could be getting bolder because he's planning something big. Most likely it'll be an attention grabber that will also serve to help band his newer and older coven members together under him."

Debra looked at him warily. "You don't think he knows we're in the area, do you," she asked quietly, as if Joe were standing outside listening for them.

Ryan shook his head. "No, with Joe's flair for dramatics he would have sent us some kind of message by now. It's only a matter of time before he does though now that I've taken out two of his people. We need to move quickly. Ask Mitchell to get us a list of everyone who's gone missing in the town in the last year. We also need to ask Michael if he knows any of the students that went missing."

"Kristie Anthony."

Ryan spun around in his chair to see Mitchell walking in, her laptop in her hands. Ryan and Debra exchanged puzzled glances.

"Kristie Anthony," Ryan asked in a perplexed tone.

"She's a missing student that was friends with Michael," she explained, setting the laptop down on the table.

"He's awake," Debra asked, concern coloring her voice. Ryan sat up a little straighter at the thought as relief and guilt coursed through him like an electric shock.

"No, I looked at his Facebook page and searched all the names of his friends from Winslow." Ryan's eyes went to the computer screen and sure enough there was a tab open for Michael's friend page on Facebook.

Ryan looked back up at Mittchel, eyebrows raised slightly. "You looked him up on Facebook?"

"Yes." She answered exaggeratedly slow as if searching Facebook was the obvious thing to do . As if a vampire who was turned long before Facebook was around should have thought of it. Thankfully Debra intervened before Ryan could give a sharp reply

"What about the girl? Was she friends with any of the other victims?"

" Not as far as I can tell. I'm still going through all her social media profiles to see if there are any connections."

Ryan's eyes wandered back to the computer screen and noticed another tab open for a news article on the girl's disappearance. He reached over and clicked on the tab. It was mostly general information; when she disappeared, police statements, general information about the victim. Only one thing stuck out to him.

"She was a literature minor," He announced, still looking over the article. Both Debra and Mitchell paused their discussion about hacking the other students social accounts and looked at him.

"She was?"Debra's eyes widened in surprise. So far that hadn't been able to find any solid connection between Carroll and the missing students leading them to believe they were simply being picked off at random.

" Yep, her major was in journalism but this article says that she was also pursuing a minor in Literature. Now, I wonder who her teacher could possibly have been?"

"It might not have been Carroll," Debra pointed out. "We haven't found anything to link the others to him. I mean, hell none of them were even part of the school paper he helps run."

"You don't think Carroll is the reason the kids are disappearing," Ryan asked in disbelief.

"Maybe not directly. I think someone else may be approaching these kids and turning them while Carroll teaches there as a front. He knows we'll be looking at him rather than anyone else, especially you, Ryan."

Ryan felt a sinking sensation in his chest as the brief feeling of triumph he felt faded. "You think he's just going to lead us on a wild goose chase while his numbers get rebuilt and he surrounds us?"

"Sounds like something he'd do, doesn't it?"

"Yea," Ryan murmured. "Sounds exactly like something he would do." If there had been one thing he'd learned about Joe since they met it was that he loved nothing more than to pull people's strings and persuade them to do exactly what he wanted. Ryan could just imagine the smug look on Joe's face when he caught them all off guard and revealed they'd been chasing their tails the whole time.

" I think it's time I finally had a chat with Joe then."

Both Debra and Mitchell looked at him in utter disbelief. Deb tilted her head to the side as if she misheard him. "What? Ryan we still know next to nothing about how Carroll is set up or who else is with him. You'd be dead before you even left the campus."

"No I wouldn't, you said it yourself Joe wants to lead us on a wild goose chase. Simply killing me as I leave campus wouldn't be fun for him." Ryan twisted his lips into a derisive smile. "There's not enough emotional and psychological torture involved."

"So, he doesn't kill you immediately," Debra replied, a note of exasperation beginning to show in her voice. "I'm sure kidnapping you and torturing you would be right up his ally, now wouldn't it?"

Ryan shrugged, unperturbed by the idea. It wasn't as if it was a possibility he wasn't aware of. Ryan always half expected to die by Joe's hand in some horrible way or another. He'd never cared much for his own safety when he was human and being faced with an eternity of being alive certainly hadn't changed that. All he could hope for was to weaken Joe as much as possible before his death. "Yea, sounds like something he'd do."

He watched as Debra's eyes hardened at his nonchalant tone. She'd never had much patience for his fatalistic way of thinking. Mitchell looked between the two, eyes widened. She looked like a person who had unwittingly been caught between two of their relatives arguing at the dinner table. Ryan noticed her eyes flicker to the door as if calculating how quickly she could run to it without being too obvious.

"We need you Ryan," she said firmly. "This isn't the time for you to start becoming a Maverick on us."

Ryan lowered his eyes, unable to bear the weight of Debra's stare. "What do you suggest we do then," he asked looking down at his lap.

Before she could answer the sound of footsteps approaching the kitchen reached their ears. They all turned to see Tyson entering the kitchen with an apprehensive look on his face. Ryan felt his stomach drop.

"How's the kid doing?"

Tyson took a deep breath and let it out evenly before replying. "Good. I think he's starting to wake up though, you should probably get up there."

Ryan shook his head. "I don't think-"

"You were the last person he remembers seeing," Debra said, cutting him off. "You need to be there when he wakes up."

"She's right," Tyson said. "That kid is in for one nasty shock when he comes to, he's going to need a somewhat familiar face."

"Fine then," he conceded, feeling uneasy. " Debra, you need to come with me though. You're a lot better with people than I am and I might need that if he doesn't react well to-"

"Your charming blunt nature?" Debra gave him a wry smile. "Of course. It's best if you take the lead though. Like Tyson said he's going to need to see a familiar face after waking up."

Ryan nodded reluctantly, dread building up inside him like storm clouds at the thought of Michael's accusatory stare when he explained what he had done. Ryan had never turned anyone before or even dealt with those that were newly turned. He just remembered his own experience. Feeling his stomach tying itself in knots Ryan slowly made his way out of the kitchen wearing a grim expression usually only suited for informing people of the death of a loved one.

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It had started out as a pleasant rest. Mike had sunken into a deep restless sleep at first, completely at ease in the knowledge that he was safe though from what he couldn't seem to remember. He wasn't sure how long that lasted when the dreams began.

The first time he dreamed that he woke up back in his dorm room. Everything had been exactly as he had left it before heading out with Troy the night before and when he looked down he was even wearing the same clothes having seemingly been too tired to change them when he got home. Mike had been absolutely convinced he was really awake in his own bed.

He'd gotten up to raid his mini fridge for a late breakfast when he glanced over at Troy's bed and his breath caught in his throat at the gruesome sight. Troy was perfectly still with his eyes partially open and his sheets soaked with blood. Taking a few tentative steps forward Mike saw that his friend's throat had been ripped opened. Mike stumbled back in horror his hand flying to his mouth as he let out a hoarse scream. Confusion mingled with terror when Mike realized that his mouth and face were wet. His heart hammering in his throat Mike slowly lowered his hand. Smeared against his fingers and palm was dark red blood.

Mike woke with a start. He was only just barely conscious, still somewhat stuck in that limbo between sleep and consciousness. However it was enough to be aware of the soft bed beneath him, the dark ceiling above his eyes, and the dull ache all over his entire body. The tension slowly eased out of him and his heart slowed as he comforted himself with the thought that it was just a dream. He wanted to turn his to look over at Troy just reassure himself but sleep still held him tight in its grasp. Within moments he was dragged back down under the waves of unconsciousness.

This continued at least two more times, but Mike couldn't be sure. After all nightmares and dreams were soon forgotten after having them. The two that he remembered for sure were just as bad as the first though. In the second he dreamed that he was lying in an open coffin at his own funeral. He could see the preacher standing at his pulpit and hear the murmur of the congregation. No matter how hard he tried though he couldn't move or speak so he was forced to stay in his coffin paralyzed as they closed the lid then lowered it into the ground. Even with his head filled with his own desperate screams all Mike could do was lay there silently, the only real sound being the dirt hitting his coffin.

Just like before he jolted awake just enough to realize it was only a nightmare before dropping back into a dreamless sleep.

In his last nightmare Mike found himself sitting at the bar in The Library. It was exactly like as when he had been there with Troy. In fact when he glanced over to the booths Troy was actually sitting there with the same group of girls as before. Everyone was dancing and having a good time like normal. Except for the girl standing in the middle of the dancing throng. Mike's heart almost stuttered to a stop at the sight of her. He wasn't sure why but the way she was just standing there staring at him without blinking filled him with cold dread. As if sensing his fear her mouth slowly stretched into a wide, toothy grin that revealed canines longer and sharper than any human's could possibly be.

The girl began striding towards him purposefully still wearing her feral grin. Mike's body froze up in fear leaving him unable to do anything other than gape at her in horror. Nobody seemed to notice or care about her. The people she pushed past and jostled continued dancing as if nothing had happened, it was almost as if she were a ghost only he could see. As she got closer Mike was able to recover some of his power of speech. He turned to where Troy was and called out his name. Troy continued chatting with the girls completely unaware of his friend calling out for him.

Mike turned his attention back to the girl and felt his heart nearly leap out of his chest when he saw that she was now only a few feet in from him. He attempted to say something to warn her off but all that came out was a pitiful, 'leave me alone', that sounded more like a whimper than a warning. The girl finally stopped right in front of him. His breathing began increasing and he could feel his hands shake as she leaned into him with her canines bared.

Feeling her breath on his neck Mike looked over her shoulder to see a man watching them. He looked to be about middle aged with a mess of dark blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. The man's eyes locked with his and he seemed to be the only one in the club who could see what was going on.

"Help me," Mike begged in a quivering voice even though he knew the man couldn't possibly hear him over the heavy bass that boomed throughout the club. The girl's sharp canine's pierced his flesh and it was the sharp pain rapidly spreading throughout his neck that caused him to bolt awake.

Mike woke up with a gasp, bolting up into a sitting position with his heart hammering in his chest. He tried to calm himself with the thought that it was only a dream but instead of being greeted by the familiar setting of his dorm room Mike found himself in a room he'd never seen before. Still dazed by sleep Mike blinked several times in order to be sure that this wasn't another lucid dream. He was fairly sure it wasn't despite having no idea where he was at.

Dreams, even lucid ones, usually had an odd movie like quality to them. Most of the time it felt like you were watching things through the lenses of a video camera. Mike was most definitely seeing things through his own eyes. Of course, there was also the dull ache in his stomach and the dry mouth to tip him off that he was probably awake for real now.

That did little to ease his anxiety though as his brain scrambled to figure out where he was and how he got there. The room he was in was mostly bare except for the dresser on the opposite wall from the bed and the nightstand. There was the possibility that he had crashed in another student's dorm room however he'd never seen a dorm building that had wooden flooring. Not to mention the room was way too spotless to belong to a student. It looked more like a guest room in someone's house.

It was difficult to piece together what had happened to him when his mind was still foggy from sleep and the dull ache in his stomach was beginning to sharpen. Glancing down Mike was taken aback to see that he was wearing clothes he'd never seen before. The jeans were too long and baggy in places they shouldn't be and Mike was 100% certain he'd never owned a FDNY shirt in his entire life.

"What...the hell," he muttered to himself groggily. "What did I do last night?"

He could easily recall getting ready and going to the club but the rest of the night was a an indistinct blur for him. The harder he thought about it the more it seemed to slip from his grasp. The images of a girl's face and an alley flashed before his eyes but even then Mike wasn't sure if they were images from a forgotten dream or the previous night.

The sound of footsteps snapped Mike out of his thoughts. His eyes went to the door as he listened to them get closer, his entire body tensing up. They stopped right outside his door and Mike could have sworn he heard a sigh before the door slowly opened. Standing on the other side was a wiry-looking blonde headed man. Behind him Mike glimpsed a dark-haired women peering over his shoulder with a wary expression. He didn't pay much attention to her though. As soon as he saw the man's face everything clicked into place.

It was like solving a math problem and finally getting that 'eureka' moment that led you to the solution. Mike remembered helping the girl get her 'boyfriend' out of the club and letting him down near an alley outside the club. The rest was still a little bit blurry but he recalled the feeling of his attacker biting into his neck as he was dragged back into the alley. Mike's hand flew to his throat at the memory. The rest was so crazy that Mike would have dismissed it as a fever induced nightmare had the man(Ryan, wasn't it?) not been standing there.

_That can't have been what really happened, _he thought as he remembered the taste of Ryan's blood and the feeling of it running down his throat.

Ryan slowly took a step forward as if approaching a stray dog. "Hey, Michael," he began in a soft voice. "How are you feeling? Do you remember me?"

"Yes." The word came out in a quiet rasp almost getting stuck in his throat. Mike cleared his throat and tried again. "Yes, you were the guy from the club. Ryan?"

He nodded. "Yep, that's me." He sounded nervous something that Mike found both reassuring and odd. On the one hand if he was nervous talking to him most likely he didn't really mean him any harm, but he couldn't possibly imagine why Ryan would be nervous.

Ryan cleared his throat awkwardly." This is my friend Debra." The woman behind him flashed Mike a smile though there was something melancholy about it. "How much do you remember about the night at the club.

Mike's breath caught at that. He remembered alright, but what he remembered was impossible. His neck being bitten, drinking Ryan's blood, it was something from a bad horror movie not from real life yet there wasn't even a flicker of a memory that explained it any other way. He felt his insides twist.

The dull pain in his stomach turned to nausea while his answer came tumbling out of his mouth. "I think...kind of...I-I'm not sure if it's a dream or not."

Ryan looked at him with pity in his eyes. "Tell me what you remember," he asked though his tone was lacking any real curiosity. He sounded more like a teacher asking a question they already knew the answer too

Mike squirmed uncomfortably on the bed avoiding Ryan and Debra's expectant gazes. What exactly was he supposed to tell them? A vampire attacked him then Ryan swooped in and saved him like the brooding protagonist from a Hollywood vampire flick?

"It's alright," Ryan reassured, sensing his nervousness. "I just want to know what you remember about that night. Even if you think it sounds crazy."

Mike still hesitated for a moment however Ryan seemed earnest in his willingness to listen and help. He was a stranger but Mike could still hear in his head how desperate Ryan had sounded when reassuring him that he would be okay.

Taking in a shaky breath Mike recounted everything he could. The entire time he watched both Ryan and Debra's faces for any traces of surprise or disbelief but for the most part they remained impassive except for the flash of pity he could see in their eyes. It made Mike wonder if perhaps he had suffered some kind of psychotic break from reality.

When Mike finished he stared at them both expectantly. This was supposed to be the part where they gave him the logical explanation. He'd been drugged, the people who attacked him were delusional maniacs who thought they were vampires, his injuries caused him to hallucinate. Mike waited, hopeful for them to finally put an end to his min-nightmare but Ryan's next sentence shattered any illusions of a rational explanation.

"Michael, none of what you remember was a nightmare."

The words crashed down on Mike like a ton of bricks. "What?"

Ryan took a deep breath and continued. "The man attacking you, drinking your blood, that wasn't a hallucination. Neither was me giving you my blood to keep you alive."

" Is this some kind of joke," Mike demanded staring at Ryan in disbelief. He scooted back further on the bed his faith in Ryan crumbling. He started to see his situation in a far less optimistic light. The chances of him being some sort of vigilante seemed less likely than him being some psycho who abducted him for nefarious reasons. Mike's heart froze as he realized he might very well be looking at the person who had been kidnapping and killing the other students.

"You know it's not a joke Michael," Ryan said firmly though not unkindly. "I gave you my blood. You seem like a smart kid you should know that humans can't digest blood but you handled mine just fine."

He was right. Not only that but Mike could still remember the taste of it; strangely sweet and far from coppery taste he would have expected. The rational part of Mike's brain still refused to accept it though. It could see the answer Ryan was leading him to and rebelled against it.

"What are you playing at? Is this some kind of weird cult recruitment?"

Ryan let out a bitter laugh at that. " Wrong person kid. Try Winslow's favorite literature professor."

Mike's hostile glare turned into one of confusion at Ryan's meaning. He tried and failed to see how any of the English teachers he knew had anything to do with the current mess he was in.

"Maybe want to stop beating around the bush," he heard Debra suggest in a murmur. Ryan glanced back at her and then looked up towards the ceiling in exasperation as if expecting help from above. He slowly leveled his gaze to stare straight at Mike. What happened next was one of the most terrifying moments of his life so far not counting his previous attack.

One moment Ryan was on the other side of the room and the next he was standing right over him next to the bed his canines unnaturally large and elongated. The way it happened was surreal as if someone had seen Ryan running and hit fast-forward causing him to become a blur as he traveled across the room in the blink of an eye.

Mike was so startled that he yelped and jumped back against the wall his head hitting it with an audible thud. He watch, transfixed as Ryan's canines-no, his _fangs_-retracted back up into his gumline.

"You believe me now," He inquired.

Mike's breathing became more rapid as he looked up at Ryan. "That-what you just did, that shouldn't be possible.

"I know," Ryan replied grimly. "It is though."

Mike continued to stare up at Ryan with mingled disbelief and horror. He felt as if his head were spinning as he tried to process what he saw and what it meant. Vampires. That's what Ryan was and that's what attacked him.

"That thing bit me, I drank your blood." Mike felt as though the room was spinning as he stared at Ryan warily, the question he wanted so desperately to ask stuck in his throat. After a minute or two he was finally managed to choke it out. "What does that mean for me?"

"The only way you become a vampire is to have your blood drained to the point of death and then to drink a vampire's blood." Ryan wouldn't meet Mike's eyes as he continued to talk in a low voice. " You were barely conscious I didn't think you were going to last long enough to make it to the hospital...so I panicked. I gave you some of my blood because I thought that was the only way to save you."

Mike stared at Ryan in a complete loss for words. The mere idea that vampires or anything supernatural actually existed shook him to the core but being told he was now part of it was too much.

Debra stepped forward to stand beside Ryan. "Look, I know this is a lot to take in right now," she said in a soft, quiet voice. "In fact it's almost impossible to ask for anyone to comprehend, but the first step in accepting this is that you have to trust what you're seeing is real. You saw what Ryan just did, that can't be faked."

"I've gone insane then..." Mike whispered.

Debra flinch almost imperceptibly at his words, sorrow flashing across her face. Wordlessly she turned from him and walked towards the dresser on the other side of the room. Ryan's eyes followed her with a questioning gaze but he remained silent. Mike couldn't force himself to care what she was doing however. Once he had actually said the words Mike couldn't stop repeating them in his head.

_I've gone insane, I've gone insane, I've gone insane_

Mike lowered his gaze to the bed beneath as he dimly tried to recall anything that could have forewarned a mental break.

"_Here_." Mike jumped as a handheld mirror was shoved under his face. He looked up to see Debra staring him down with an unwaveringly determined expression. "Take it and use it to look at your neck." Her voice held the kind of commanding tone that only his mother had ever been able to master. Mike took the mirror from her hand before he could even really think about what he was doing.

At first Mike wasn't sure what he was supposed to be looking at until he spotted the two pale pink evenly spaced dots on his neck each the size a of a tack. He tentatively raised his hand and ran his fingers over the two spots. They were both slightly raised and the skin felt extremely thin as though any wrong movement of his neck could cause it to tear open. The memory of his attacker's teeth sinking into his flesh ripped through him, causing a chill to run down his spine.

"See," Debra said as she watched him examine the two marks. " You can clearly feel the marks on you, Michael, you're brain couldn't be tricking you that much."

"It's Mike." His voice was firm as he said it but he could feel his hands shaking as he lowered the mirror. It was a small relief to be proven wrong that he wasn't insane. The alternative wasn't much better and Mike felt like his very bones were quivering.

" So obviously you drink blood," he began in a strained voice. "Does this mean I'm going to have to kill people to live?"

"You don't have to," Ryan told him, his face impassive. "We don't and we're fine."

"Then how-"

"Animal blood," Debra chimed in. He could see her face light up with amusement. "I know it probably sounds cliché but it does the trick. Tastes fine too if you ask me but that's a personal preference."

Mike a little bit of his anxiety begin to ebb away. He'd only ever wanted to help people, knowing that he wouldn't have to contribute to more evil in the world made the situation slightly better.

"What about the other stuff? Sunlight burning, garlic, crosses..."

"Most of it's bullshit," Ryan answered immediately. "Garlic and any other religious related items don't hurt us. We are super sensitive to sunlight, though. If you're out in directly for too long you will get sick."

"That's not so bad," Mike remarked, speaking more to himself than Ryan or Debra. "I'll still be able to go to school."

"No."

Mike's eyes snapped up to Ryan's. Despite the steel behind his voice his expression made it look like he'd just been punched in the gut.

"Michael, you can't go back to school, or see any of your family again. I'm sorry."

Mike flinched back at the tone of finality in his voice. The thought of being cut off from the things that mattered most to him was unthinkable and in a way almost as hard for his mind to wrap around as the recent revelation of vampires.

"Why," he managed to whisper despite the increasing tightness in his chest.

Ryan's shoulders sagged as he let out a long sigh. "Living in the sunlight, masquerading as a human for your family and friends...it doesn't work. At least not for long. The few vampires that have tried always end up hurting themselves and the people around them. "

"I can make it work." Mike sat up a little straighter as a sense of determination took over and pushed back the feeling of despair. "If you just teach me about being what I am now."

"What happens when people start noticing you aren't aging, or rarely go out in the sun," Ryan demanded.

The aging part struck a chord within Mike. He hadn't even thought of the aging thing. "It will be a while before anyone notices, I've always looked young." The excuse sounded weak even to his ears.

Clearly Ryan felt the same. "So, what? You're just gonna try to live a normal life for about ten or fifteen years then disappear when people keep remarking on how youthful you look?"

Mike bristled at the note of derision behind the man's seemingly neutral tone. " As opposed to what? Just disappearing now without a trace?"

"You're protecting them just as much as you would be hurting them." Mike turned his glare from Ryan to Debra his determined expression faltering. She had seemed like less of a hard ass than Ryan, he would have thought she would have at least heard him out. Although her brown eyes were filled with sympathy her mouth was set in a firm line similar to Ryan's.

"You're going to be drawn to human blood. What happens if someone you love gets injured while you're there and you can't control yourself? Or what about the fact that you're going to be lying to everyone around you 24/7? You'll always be holding everyone you care about at arm's length. It's better and safer for you to just step away now, create a clean break."

Every one of her words rang true and as she said them Mike could feel his heart break just a little bit more. Still, there had to be a way. They couldn't just turn his entire view of the world upside down and then tell him he had to abandon everything he knew while he was at it.

"I'll take that all into consideration," he informed them in a voice so cold that he surprised even himself. "But you can't tell me what I'm going to do."

"That's where you're wrong," Ryan said. " We can't just sit by and let a brand new vampire run around. If that means keeping you here by force then so be it."

" You _can't_ keep me here." Mike's voice rose so high that it cracked. Ryan and Debra both tensed and Ryan shifted forward ready to spring. It was unnecessary though. Mike immediately became distracted by a strange pressure in his upper jaw and a sharp pain in his lower lip. He raised a hand to his lips. When he lowered it there was bright red blood smeared on two of his fingers. No one said a word as he snatched the mirror from where it lay on the bed and raised it to examine his face. He could practically feel them holding their breath while they waited for the next moment.

Mike met his own crazed eyes in the mirror and then looked further down to see two long, narrow canines protruding just past the rest of his teeth. His stomach lurched and began cramping up worse than before. The mirror slipped between his fingers as Mike doubled over in pain, a groan slipping through his lips.

"We need to get him food," he heard Debra say anxiously to Ryan.

"Right I'll go-"

"_No_, you stay up here and keep an eye on him."

Mike clenched his teeth together in pain as the cramping in his stomach worsened. It felt as though someone had stabbed him with a blunt knife and was just slowly twisting it. His breathing became ragged as he began to break out into a cold sweat. With a haze of pain completely surrounding him he didn't even notice Ryan stepping closer to him until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"It's going to be alright Mike," he said to him in a low, soothing tone. "Just try to concentrate on your breathing, okay? Deep breath through your nose and out through your mouth."

Mike did as he said and though it didn't do much to lessen the pain it did decrease his anxiety some, making it easier to bear through the it. Ryan gently pushed down on his shoulders prompting Mike to reluctantly lie back down on the bed in a fetal position.

"Everything's going to be okay," Ryan repeated in a raspy voice. "You just need a little blood in you that's all."

Mike whimpered at the thought. It reminded him of when Ryan had first given him blood making the cramping in his stomach sharpen as the way it tasted came back to him. It shook him to the core to feel his mouth water at the prospect of tasting it again. Even after seeing how Ryan had dashed across the room some part of Mike had held onto his disbelief, but any slight rational explanation that his mind had conjured up faded as he felt his fangs scraping against the inside of his mouth.

* * *

Debra descended down the stairs exhaling slowly as she tried to mentally shake off the image of Mike's heartbroken face. She'd realized that it wasn't going to be a walk in the park. In this day and age of modern science the mere suggestion of the existence of the supernatural, especially vampires, would be insane to anyone. Debra herself had reacted with complete disbelief at first despite growing up with a fairly mystic-like religion. She never had to deal with cutting out her family though. That had already been done years before she was turned.

Debra paused briefly at the foot of the stairs and shook her head as if trying to physically dispel the buried memories that were threatening to rise to the surface. She reset her thoughts firmly on getting the backup blood they kept in the fridge to Mike as soon as possible. Once he drank some blood and saw the effect it had on him maybe they would finally be able to start to move past the denial phase.

Tyson was nowhere to be found when she entered the kitchen. It wouldn't surprise her if he was in one of the spare rooms getting restraints ready just in case Mike got out of hand. The man was much more upbeat than Ryan however he was always on guard, never far from one of the many weapons he kept placed throughout the house. Mitchell was staring at her laptop screen silently. Debra didn't give her more than a second glance as she went over to open the fridge and grab one of the bags of blood stacked in the back.

"Debra?"

"Hmm," was Debra's only absent minded response. She was placing a large black waterbottle on the counter near the sink. Hopefully Mike would be less perturbed by his first drink of blood if he couldn't actually see the color of the liquid.

"I need you to look at something real quick."

Debra glance at over at her from over her shoulder to ask what it was but saw that Mitchell was still staring at her screen a crease appearing between her brows. She carefully set the bag of blood as far from the edge of the counter as possible-after all that stuff wasn't easy to come by-and walked over to stand behind Mitchell.

"I think I found a photo of one of Joe's old coven members," she said uncertainly.

Debra looked down at the screen and saw a photo of a young man with a head of black hair and a perfect smile. He had his arm wrapped around a small brown haired woman with an eerily familiar face.

"Emma."

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**A/N: I'm iffy on how this turned out so any CC is more than welcomed. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Unfortunately this one is shorter but if you're a Paul and Jacob fan hopefully you will enjoy it none the less. **

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Chapter Three

Jacob walked briskly across the dimly lit lobby of his apartment building. The person at the front desk only looked up briefly from her book to mutter a greeting. Jacob mumbled a reply of his own as he passed on his way to the elevators but didn't deign to look over at her as he did so. His last tutoring session had gone longer than he expected, if he didn't hurry he was going to be late. He could picture her so clearly, sitting all by herself as she waited for him.

As soon as the elevator doors opened he dashed inside and immediately hit the close button before mashing his own floor button. As soon as the doors opened Jacob resumed his brisk pace all the way to his door. Inside his apartment was dark and quiet, the living room and kitchen lights off. Jacob tossed his keys onto the kitchen counter and walked into the living room where he dropped his messenger bag onto the couch with a contented sigh. He would never stop appreciating the quiet of the Grad apartments compared to the undergrad dorms.

Glancing at the clock next to the entertainment center Jacob hurried down the hallway that lead to the bedrooms. He paused outside the first door on the right looking at it uncertainly. The unmistakable sounds of a videogame were coming through it.

Jacob held up his fist to knock and hesitated before rapping loudly on the door. "Paul! Can I come in a minute?"

"I don't care." Jacob could tell just by the tone of his face that he was completely immersed in whatever game he was currently playing. That was never a good sign. Usually Paul only ever got super engrossed in a game when he was irritated at something.

Jacob slowly opened the door to find the room completely dark save for the glow of the tv screen. In the far corner of the room Paul was sitting up in his bed, legs stretched out in front of him with a Playstation controller in his hand.

"What is it," he asked without looking up from the screen.

"I'm about to talk to Emma. Is there anything you want me to tell or ask her?"

Paul snorted in derision. "No, I'm just a lackey remember? I'm sure if she has any new orders she'll have no problem just shooting a text."

Jacob had to suppress a sigh. Paul and Emma's relationship had always been tenuous at best but at this point it was virtually nonexistent. Paul had been growing more and more frustrated at Emma's lack of communication with him over the past year. It wasn't uncommon for him not to receive responses for his texts/emails and half of the time when she did communicate with him it was through Jacob. At one point he had attempted getting Paul into the room whenever he had his Skype chats with her to discuss plans but it was like trying to herd cats.

"You two can't keep up this little spat of yours forever you know. At some point you're gonna have to get over it."

"You wanna bet?" Paul smiled as he continued to keep his attention on T.V. screen. "That's the beautiful thing about being immortal Jacob. I can hold grudges for as long as I want."

Jacob finally let an irritated sigh escape his lips. "Fine."

He turned and trudged back out into the hallway closing the door to Paul's room behind him. Once inside his room he flipped on the light switch and went to his computer, turning it on and logging in as quickly as possible. Finally he went into skype where Emma was already waiting.

"Hey," she said, her entire face lighting up at seeing him. "I was worried that you had fallen asleep or something."

"No, one of my tutoring sessions just went on longer than I thought it would." Jacob smiled back at her in return.

Emma's smile faded and her eyes darkened. "Listen, Roderick got into contact with me. He told me that two of our people went hunting a few days ago and haven't turned up yet."

Jacob blinked in surprise. It was the last thing he expected to hear. Sure there had been a few hiccups here and there but so far all the plans had been running relatively smoothly. Judging from the fact that Emma had brought it up first thing he was guessing it was more than just a case of them not picking up their cell phones. Unease crept into his mind yet Jacob attempted to remain an optimist, at least for Emma's sake. "Maybe they just got carried away while hunting and went on a killing spree?"

Emma shook her head. "No, it was Amanda and Alex. Believe me if those two idiots had gone on a killing spree it would have been all over the news by now." There was no mistaking the irritation in her voice. She always had little patience for people straying off course.

"What else could it have been though?" The thought of any of them just ditching everyone else- ditching Joe-was unthinkable.

Emma took a deep breath before continuing. "Maybe they ran across other vampires, or hunters. We have a few theories."

"You think someone killed them?" Jacob's mind spun at the thought. He was so used to thinking of Emma and the others as the ultimate predators. It was hard for him to picture any human taking them down, but maybe another vampire. "You don't think it's Ry-"

"No." Emma cut him off immediately. "Like I said we just have a few theories but we're not jumping to any conclusions. Ryan and his little cohorts aren't the first vampires to attack their own kind." She sneered when mentioning Ryan's name.

"So, what are Paul and I supposed to do?"

"Well, right now it's probably best to recruit a few more people. Do you have anyone in mind."

Jacob racked his brain thinking of all the students he tutored on a regular basis. There were a few that would occasionally confide in him during their sessions but none that seemed desperate to run away from their problems.

"None that really come to mind." Jacob avoided her gaze and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I haven't volunteered at the crisis counseling center recently though. I can afford to skip out on my study group meetings to start again."

"Don't stress out about it too much," Emma reassured him. "Roderick can also recruit from his end as well, just keep your eye out for potentials."

Jacob nodded although he doubted he would find anyone so soon. The others took time to get to know and groom. The problem with his fellow college students is that everyone seemed to breakdown or panic at some point. It was hard to pinpoint the ones that truly had issues that would attract them to another life after only a meeting or two.

"Also, make sure you and Paul go hunting together. If there's someone else out there I don't want them catching one of you off guard when you're by yourself."

Jacob's heart sped up at the mention of hunting and he felt his palms begin to sweat. "Right, will do. Paul and I usually go hunting together anyway." He kept his voice even as possible but the words still came out much quicker than he would have liked.

Luckily Emma didn't seem to notice. "Make sure you guys keep a closer eye on the others as well just in case some of them are sneaking off."

Given how young some of the people in the group were Jacob didn't blame her for being concerned but he still couldn't help but grin a little bit. "Don't worry about that. Paul installed cameras at the house forever ago to make sure they don't destroy the place or kill each other. I think he watches the feeds whenever he gets bored, too."

Emma pressed her lips together in an attempt to keep back a laugh but was unsuccessful. "Well, I guess that takes care of _that_." The smile remained on her face as she gazed at Jacob with adoration. Her entire demeanor shifted and she was no longer a higher up in the chain of command giving orders but the girl he had met at the diner almost two years ago, just not as shy anymore.

"I miss you," she told him quietly as if someone would overhear her in one of her more vulnerable states. "I can't wait to be with you again, hopefully it won't be much longer now."

Jacob felt his heart skip a beat. _You might not want me when you see me again._

He still managed to smile around his nervousness. "I miss you too. I'm sure you're right, Joe will be ready to move on to the next part soon." Jacob was beginning to feel nauseous with anxiety, something that hadn't happened since his first year of college.

Emma glanced at something off screen. "I have to go now. I love you."

"I love you, too." Usually saying those words made him feel lighter than air for just a few moments, but now he felt a sense of defeat as he said them. As if they were already sealing his fate later on.

Emma blew him a kiss before signing off. Jacob stared at the black screen, his mind blank then with a loud sigh leaned back into his chair. He ran both hands over his face and into his hair gripping it lightly.

"God, what am I gonna do?"

"Seriously."

Jacob spun his chair around to see Paul standing in the door way shaking his head.

"You still haven't told her? You know, I'm no relationship expert but I'm pretty sure keeping something like this a secret for a _year _tends to be a deal breaker."

"There's just never been a good time," Jacob snapped, his voice going up an octave. "That's not something you can just drop over a text message or a skype call."

"Well, at least she can't kill you through a computer screen," he snickered. "You can also screen cap the exact look on her face."

"Would you just _stop_?" If he was being honest Jacob knew that not wanting to tell her over the computer was just an excuse but it wasn't something he was in the mood for discussing. "Besides, there's something she told me that we need to talk about."

The humor faded from Paul's eyes and he stiffened. " What did she say?"

"Two of Roderick's went missing. They think another vampire or hunter may have done it."

"What makes them think they're dead?" Paul's tone was disbelieving with just a hint of contempt underneath it that probably had more to do with the fact that the news came from Emma.

"It didn't sound like they've ruled that out, but you'd think that if they just took off they'd have some warning signs."

Paul's forehead creased in concentration as the gears began turning in his head. "That's true but if they were together it would have been hard for a hunter take them down singlehandedly. We would have known if a team of them came to town."

"Emma was wondering if maybe one of ours went off on their own and got into a spat with them."

As expected Paul only made a face and shook his head at that. "No way. I check the footage of what they're doing every day. If one of them had left for any extended period of time I'd know by now."

"Yea, that's what I told her." Jacob notice Paul's lips part just slightly in surprise and felt resentment simmer inside of him. It wasn't as if he never took up for him or anything.

"So, what did Emma suggest we do then?"

Jacob shrugged. "To just stick together and keep a close eye on the others. She mentioned not feeding by ourselves."

"I'll have to go with each group whenever they feed from now on so that won't be much of a problem."

"Maybe you should stay with them until this is all over. That way you don't have to travel without back up."

"So, then you'll be by yourself? No way." Paul's tone was insistent. "No one's going to be attacking me on the campus and like I said I can feed with the others."

"I know," replied Jacob miserably. He slid further down into his chair. "I just hate being useless."

"Hey, don't talk like that." All the bitterness and sarcasm in his voice was gone. He walked across the room and placed a hand on Jacob's shoulder. "We wouldn't have gotten this far without you."

Jacob avoided his eyes."Yea, well I'm not doing anyone good right now am I?"

Paul moved his hand from Jacob's shoulder to the side of his face so that they were looking each other in the eyes. "It's not going to be that way much longer," he told him softly. "You're gonna make that leap, okay? I'll help you through it." Paul gave him a small smile, his usually hard eyes softening.

Jacob had noticed that most of his genuine smiles were small and close mouthed. The only time he really saw Paul smile widely or grin was when he came back from hunting, which always made him seem much more predatory to Jacob than truly happy. He'd always found it both awe-inspiring and terrifying whenever he witnessed it.

"Thanks," he murmured shifting his gaze away from Paul's intense gaze. Unfortunately Paul's earnestness in helping him transition made him feel just as guilty as lying to Emma. Only difference was that Emma thought he was something he wasn't while Paul wanted him to be something he didn't think he could be.

"Since we were on the topic of feeding..." Paul slid his hand from the side of Jacob's face and stood straight. "It's been about a week and given what just happened with the others do you mind if I-"

"Yea, of course," Jacob said before he could even finish. He hopped up from the computer chair and walked over to the bed in the corner, rolling up the sleeves of his sweater. His heart began to speed up as he laid down on the bed though from excitement or anxiety he couldn't be sure.

It wasn't the first time Paul had fed on him. Part of it had started out as curiosity. Jacob had wanted to know what it felt like to have fangs pierce his flesh, hoping it would calm some of his fears. After wards, when he realized it hadn't been as bad as he had thought Jacob suggested it as a regular thing so Paul wouldn't have to go hunting as much.

Paul's fangs extended out as he approached Jacob on the bed his expression neutral. Even after almost a year Paul was extremely careful in how he fed on him. He never showed any signs of eagerness or hunger, and every movement was slow and measured. Paul kneeled down at the side of the bed and lifted his arm gently up. He bowed his head over the crook of Jacob's elbow causing Jacob to look away a second before he bit down.

Jacob winced a little at the pain but soon relaxed. It really wasn't any worse than donating blood. Once the pain from the fangs piercing his skin faded it was fine especially since Paul was good at taking just enough so that he would only feel a little tired afterwards. Not long after he had started Paul raised his head, licking his lips. Jacob could only watched transfixed as Paul bent his head down again and lapped up the blood that was beginning to well up from the two puncture wounds.

"The gauze and wrap is in the bedside drawer," Jacob told him in a breathless whisper.

Paul stopped his own ministrations and pulled open the drawer next to him. "You keep everything useful in here, don't you," Paul remarked playfully. He pulled out the gauze and pressed it gently against the crook of Jacob's elbow. Lifting his arm up again Paul wrapped his arm and placed the supplies back in the drawer. He then looked back down at Jacob's arm and smiled at his handiwork.

"Perfect. Looks just like you went to give blood on the big red bus." His eyes traveled back up to Jacob's face. "You feel alright?"

Jacob nodded. "Yea. I'm still going to lay down for a while though, just in case."

Paul's hand moved up to his chest. "Wouldn't want you to almost pass out again."

"Hey, sometimes it doesn't hit you until you start moving," Jacob said defensively. Granted he should have known better to get up and start doing chores after losing blood given that he was premed but still.

Paul chuckled and before Jacob could say anything he bent down and pressed his lips against his lightly.

Jacob's heart skipped a beat. He felt a thrill go through him that only seemed to happen whenever he and Paul locked lips.

"Paul," he breath when the other man pulled back so that his face was just a few inches from his.

Paul cocked an eyebrow in mock confusion. "What? Just thought you might like a little preview of what blood tastes like."

"It's not that." Jacob shifted on the bed his eyes avoid Paul's gaze. "You just fed off me so it's really not a good time for me to be getting...'excited'"

Paul snickered. "So, basically you can't afford to have any blood-" he moved his hand to Jacob's waist "-shifting downwards to less _vital _organs?"

"Pretty much," he admitted feeling his cheeks heat up.

"Well, maybe I can join you in the shower later." He bent down again, this time to kiss him on the forehead with more tenderness than one would expect. He stood up and gave him a grin. "Wouldn't want you to get light headed and fall down."

With that he left the room, shutting the light off as he went. Images of Paul in the shower, soaking wet entered his mind but he quickly pushed them back out again for fear that he really would cause himself to accidentally pass out. He thought back to Emma's smiling face and felt a pang of guilt.

There were too many tangled threads in his life and he was getting closer to the point where they were going to unravel. For once Jacob was actually grateful for the weariness that came after being fed on. It made it so much easier for his worries to fade into the background of his mind as sleep quickly overtook him.

* * *

**A/N: As usual let me know what you think. Concrit is appreciated. I know this chapter may seem a little fillerish but I promise that the next will really start to get into the main plot.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry this has taken so long guys. Unfortunately season 3 and the series finale zapped a lot of my inspiration for the story. This is actually been sitting in my computer for the last few weeks but with school and work I didn't really get the chance to upload it until now. I'm a little nervous about this chapter since it sets up a lot of the plot for the rest of the story so let me know what you think **

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Chapter 4

Mike had curled himself into a fetal position on the bed breathing deeply through his nose as Ryan had instructed. It didn't do much. Ryan could still see a slight tremor in Mike's hands as he gripped the bed sheets. He knew all too well the mindless feeling of hunger driving out any thought except your own pain and how to alleviate it. He remembered snapping under that feeling more than he would ever admit.

_Come on Deb where are you? _It couldn't have been a little more than five minutes but still, she was a vampire. It shouldn't take more than two to go downstairs and back. Ryan prayed to god that she hadn't accidentally spill the blood.

Mike let out a low groan and tensed even more until Ryan could clearly see the tendons standing out on his hand and forearm. Ryan reached out to rub his should but stopped himself before making contact. There was no telling if Mike would completely snap. Besides, he was the reason Mike was in pain it would be an insult to try awkwardly comforting him.

Thankfully Debra came back into the room not a moment later holding a black waterbottle in her hand. She locked eyes with Ryan and took in a breath as if to say something but then looked over to Mike. Ryan tensed as she began taking slow, measured steps towards the bed.

She knelt down beside the bed and held the waterbottle out. "Mike," she said quietly in a voice that reminded Ryan of the one his mother would use whenever he was sick. "Do you think you can drink this? It's going to taste weird but it's the only thing that's going to make you feel better."

Mike opened his eyes and lifted his head up, sniffing at the air. "It smells strange," he breathed.

"I know, I know but you need to drink it." She held the waterbottle out just a little bit more. "Can you hold it yourself or do you need me to hold it for you?"

Mike licked his cracked lips and swallowed loudly. "I can hold it." He said it so quietly that Ryan wouldn't have been able to understand him without his sharpened hearing.

Mike took a deep breath and held it as he carefully propped himself up on one elbow. With a shaking hand he slowly reached out and took the bottle from Debra although her hands still hovered near just in case he dropped it. He sniffed the top, made a face, then began to lift it painfully slow to his mouth. Ryan was tempted to just go over there and start pouring it into his mouth himself but luckily Mike began to drink before he could give the idea any serious thought.

Within the first mouthful Mike's face scrunched up in disgust and there was the unmistakable sound of him spitting some of it back into the bottle.

"You have to drink it," Ryan commanded. "What you're feeling right now is only going to get ten times worse if you try to drag it out."

Mike's eyes darted over to Ryan and then back to the bottle. He shifted in the bed but after a moment brought it back to his lips. Tilting his head back Mike drank as quickly as possible. His brow furrowed as he steadily drained the cup. Ryan couldn't blame him for having difficulty choking it down.

There was something that just tasted off about stored blood that even someone as new as Mike could pick up on. More than likely it had something to do with the chemicals used to preserve it. Even animal blood tasted better to Ryan but the stored blood was more practical for emergencies.

The tension in Mike's body eased as he finished off the last bit of blood while a little bit of color returned to his cheeks. Mike set the thermos down on the night stand and fell back onto the pillow sighing. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stared at the smear of blood on it.

"So, that's what blood tastes like, huh?" He stared up at the ceiling as he said it, making it seem like he was talking to himself more than anything else.

"That's what chemically preserved blood tastes like. Animal blood doesn't taste nearly as bad." Ryan barely spoke above a whisper. They were past the denial stage now. The panic was gone and would be replaced by despair as he processed everything that he could no longer have.

Debra rose from her kneeling position, the corners of her mouth pulled downward. She'd realized what was going on the moment Ryan had. "You should rest some more. Ryan and I are going downstairs to talk about something, just call us if you need anything."

"Okay," he answered absent mindedly, still staring up at the ceiling.

Debra brushed past him and headed out the door without another word. Ryan stared at Mike's empty eyes a moment longer before heading out, the weight in his chest increasing with every step.

"Well, that was fun," he remarked to Debra once they had closed the door and were heading down the stairs. "I always did enjoy crushing the hopes and dreams of children."

"It's just going to take some time," Debra insisted, never the one to indulge in pity parties. "Mike is going mourn his old life same as he would a loved one."

"It's not the same though. He's losing _everything._"

Debra stopped at the foot of the stairs and rounded on him. "He has us. It'll be hard but I'm sure he'll find some purpose in his new life. We did, which is something I actually need to talk to you about."

Ryan crinkled his brow. "What is it?"

"Diedre was going through the profiles of that girl's friends and found a photo of Emma on one of them."

Just like that Ryan could feel his guilt evaporate and his heart rate pick up as everything in him came alive just like it always did whenever a lead presented itself.

He immediately began heading towards the kitchen. "Does she have an account of her own?"

"I don't know." There was a note of exasperation in Debra's voice as she followed behind him. "She was in someone else's picture on their profile."

Ryan flung open the kitchen door and headed straight for the table. "What did you find?"

Diedre looked up from the computer screen completely unperturbed by Ryan suddenly bursting in demanding answers. She turned the laptop towards him where it still had the picture of the boy and Emma up.

"His name is Jacob Wells, he's a graduate student at Winslow. The picture is his but I don't see any name for her on it and as far as I can tell she doesn't have a profile."

Ryan looked down at the face of the girl he hadn't seen in years. Her hair was a mousey brown and her face was completely devoid of any makeup. It was a stark change to the pink hair and heavy eyeliner she wore last time he had seen her, but there was no mistaking it was Emma Hill.

"How did you find this kid?" Ryan stared down at the young man's smiling face and racked his brain for any flutter of recognition but failed to find any.

"He was listed as one of her friends that went to Winslow. Also, one of the last pictures she took before disappearing was of him." She reached over and hit the backspace button. The screen went back to Kristie Anthony's photo page. In the top left corner there was the picture of Jacob. He was grinning and giving a thumbs up with a Math textbook laid out on the table.

The caption read, 'best tutor ever. Gonna nail this final.'

It was dated about a week before she went missing.

"How much have you found out about him so far?"

"Only the basics," Diedre replied. "His father is a prominent Virginia surgeon. He's a graduate at Winslow and from the looks of it is in med school." She leaned over and switched the screen back over to Jacob's profile. "He seems pretty involved with school activities too."

"So smart, popular, rich and not bad looking either." Ryan rattled off the list of attributes as he stared at Jacob smiling from his profile picture. In his mind's eye he pictured him smiling at the girl as he led her away to the outskirts of campus with a stream of reassurances and promises spilling out of his mouth. No doubt most of it would have been Joe's own words that promised her a better life.

"You think that's who Joe is using to turn the students?" Ryan blinked and looked over next to him at Debra who stared at him expectantly.

"More than likely, yea. With all the stuff he apparently does around school Jacob would have all kinds of interactions with different students. It'd be less suspicious not to have all the students coming from Joe's classes or anything he's involved in."

"Not to mention he would know that when we came around we'd immediately zero in on him." Debra looked him straight in the eye as she said it.

"Yes, he would have," Ryan agreed, keeping his face straight and his tone neutral.

"Go ahead and see if you can find any properties in the area that would be secluded but big enough to hold a large group of people," Debra told Diedre. "They have to be keeping the coven and new recruits somewhere."

"They wouldn't be keeping the new ones with the rest of the coven." Both Diedre and Debra turned their attention to Ryan. "Usually they're kept separate from everyone else at first. It keeps them from getting overwhelmed. Look up everything you can find about Jacob and his family. Maybe that'll give us some idea of where he takes them to be changed."

"Jacob?" Ryan and Debra spun around to see Mike standing in the doorway with the empty waterbottle in his hand. He was staring at the computer screen wrinkling his brow in confusion. "Jacob Wells? What's he got to do with any of this?"

"Wait, you know him," Ryan demanded.

"Yea," Mike answered, sounding taken aback. "He tutored me when I was taking Biology. Why are you looking into him?"

Ryan opened his mouth to shoot back another question of his own but Debra held up her hand, cutting him off prematurely.

"We think Jacob may have something to do with the other students that have been disappearing. Do you remember your classmate Kristie?"

Mike's shoulders tensed. "Yes. She went missing at the end of last semester. She was the one that referred me to Jacob, he was tutoring her in math."

Ryan took a step forward, his eyes boring into Mike's. "Mike, this is important. Do you remember her mentioning anything at all about Jacob? Did she make plans with him outside of tutoring?"

Mike shook his head. "No." He was beginning to sound irritated now. "If she had talked about going off with Jacob before disappearing or anything else strange I would have gone to the police. I don't get it though, what does Jacob have to do with it? He seemed perfectly human not like a-" Mike faltered as though the word had gotten caught in his throat. "-a you know. Not like what you guys are."

"He doesn't necessarily have to be," Debra explained. "Vampires have been known to use humans to do their bidding in the past."

" He's luring in students for vampires to kill, "Mike asked, his eyes drifting to the photo of Jacob on the computer. He knitted his eyebrows together and his mouth fell open as if he felt like he was going to be sick. "I don't get it, why?"

"They're not for food," Ryan said. "At least not most of them anyway. There's a vampire named Joe that needs more recruits for his coven. We think that he's been using Jacob to help bring them in initially."

"So it's like a 'Lost Boys' sort of thing?"

Debra tilted her head to the side in confusion at the reference while Ryan fixed him with a stony expression. "No, it's-"

"Well, actually it kind of is," Diedre interjected. "If you take away the bikes and the leather."

Ryan threw her a look over his shoulder that clearly said, 'not helping', then turned his attention back to Mike. "Joe enjoys recruiting from Universities where he poses as a professor. He starts by becoming a confidant to different students he targets as potentials and then slowly reels them in."

Mike furrowed his brow even more. "But why do you think he has Jacob doing it for him? Kristie probably saw a lot people before disappearing."

"There's a picture Jacob has on his Facebook page of him and one of Joe's coven members," Ryan told him. "That's one hell of a coincidence."

Mike was silent a moment before asking the question that none of them had thought of yet. "So what are you going to do to him?"

Ryan opened his mouth but quickly shut it again. That was a damned good question. They were looking through property records but what beyond that?

"Right now we're not doing anything to him," Debra answered. " We're just trying to see where he's taking these kids to be turned. "

"You don't need to worry about any of that though," Ryan said. "Right now you just need to rest."

"I just found out on top of being a vampire that there's some evil plot at my school to turn my classmates into vampires," Mike pointed out. "How am I supposed to just relax?"

"We'll take care of it," Ryan reassured him, using the calm authoritative voice that officers often used when speaking to civilians. "Besides there's nothing you can do about it so you may as well rest while you readjust to everything."

"I could help though!" There was no mistaking the eagerness in his voice or the way his previously bewildered eyes lit up. "What if I followed Jacob or got him to see me as possible recruit."

It was enough to almost make him shake his head. After everything he had just been through the kid was trying to jump into something else dangerous.

"There's no way we could let you do that," Debra said automatically. "It's too dangerous."

"You've already almost died once already Mike. If Joe or anyone under him gets a hold of you the second time won't turn out as well." Ryan continued to stare him down but Mike didn't look away.

He tilted his chin up and squared his shoulders. " All I'd have to do is get Jacob to take me to the others and you guys could take care of the rest from there."

"It's not a bad idea," Diedre chimed in. Debra and Ryan both turned to give her looks of outrage however she ignored them and continued on. "Except for the fact that you're only a day old and have no control over your hunger or abilities."

"So just give me a few days to get the hang of things then I can go."

"Right, because learning how to be a vampire is exactly like riding a bike," Ryan replied sarcastically. "A couple of practice sessions and you're good to go."

"Two weeks," Mike pleaded. "Just give me two weeks and then I'll come back here to lay low."

Two weeks? Two minutes on that campus was more than enough time for things to go terribly wrong. Still, it was a better plan than anything else they had at their disposal at the moment, short of kidnapping Jacob and torturing him. If it was someone more experienced that he didn't feel responsible for Ryan would have been immediately on board, but Mike was just a kid.

_They're all just kids, _Ryan thought to himself grimly, the faces of all the students that had disappeared passing before his eyes.

"Okay," Ryan relented, drawing the word out slowly. "We'll give you two weeks."

"Ryan!" Debra rounded on him, eyes flashing.

He held up a hand and continued. "_But, _there are going to be some stipulations and rules. You step outside any of them or even _think _you're about to and you come right back here. Understood?"

Mike bobbed his head up and down eagerly. "Yea, of course."

"Ryan can I talk to you in private for a moment?" Debra's voice was even but she still said it quickly enough for Ryan to know that she was barely holding back from going off on him right then and there.

"Sure I need to let Tyson know what's going on anyway. Mike, stay here with Diedre. When we come back we'll go over everything in detail."

"Okay."

Debra didn't even deign to look at Ryan as she turned on her heel and marched out of the kitchen. Ryan followed her already mentally preparing himself for the lecture he was about to receive

* * *

"Are you insane," she demanded once they were upstairs. " Mike just found out he was a vampire not even an hour ago and you're sending him on some scouting mission?"

"I know," Ryan conceded tiredly. "Other people are going to keep dying if we aren't quick to follow up on the one lead we do have. I don't plan on sending him there by himself."

"You're going to go there with him? Don't you think that might tip Joe off?"

"It's not like I'm going to be following him everywhere. I'm going to confront Joe and make some vague threats towards him about turning the students so he doesn't suspect we found anything out about Jacob's part in anything." He gave her a small bitter smile, the edges of his mouth just barely turning up. "Like you said, he expects me to zero right in on him so that's what I'm going to do."

"What about Mike, though," she asked, lowering her voice. " You can't be blamed for what happened to him but from this point on if Mike gets hurt or killed that's on us."

"I'm not going to let anything happen to him. All eyes are going to be on me. They're not going to suspect Mike, especially not since Jacob already knows him."

Debra folded her arms. "And what about the threat Mike poses to others? He doesn't even have an idea of what his new impulses are going to be like or how to control them."

Ryan faltered at that. Out of everything that would be the biggest gamble. " We can teach him, there are a few tricks that will help him learn fast. Most of us had to learn without any help at all and refrained from killing."

"Everyone's different though," she replied, looking him directly in the eyes.

Ryan ignored the weight that settled on his chest. "I'll be in constant contact with him. If he even starts to feel a little bit off I'll pull him out of there."

Debra looked away and after a moment Ryan saw her shoulders sag in defeat. "Fine," she said, not even looking at him. "We'll let Mike go to Jacob, but _don't _you dare take any stupid risks with Joe." She pointed a finger at him threateningly. "You can't be there for Mike if you take things too far with Joe. Engage him but don't let him get to you and do something reckless."

"I'm not going to let Joe distract me from helping Mike. I've already let too many people die because of him."

"Which is exactly what Joe will use to push you over the edge."

"I have a plan. I'll go over eveything with downstairs with Mike."

"Alright," she brushed past him and head towards the stairs. "If this backfires though it's going to be worse than anything we could have imagined."

"I know." In his mind's eye Ryan could see Mike sitting on the ground with a lifeless body next to him and blood covering his mouth. He could clearly picture the smile on Joe's face as he led Mike away.

* * *

Mike stood awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen unsure of what to do. He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet while tapping his finger against his legs and glancing around the room. The woman at the table didn't seem to notice. She was too busy staring at her computer screen and occasionally typing something in. Or so Mike thought.

"Would you sit down," she snapped, causing Mike to jump. She looked up at him from her computer. "You're making me nervous just standing there twitching."

"S-sorry," he stuttered feeling his face heat up.

He went over to the table and took a seat right across from her. Still feeling out of place inside the house he began drumming his fingers against the table. "You looking up things about Jacob?"

"Yep." She went back to whatever it was that she had been reading.

"Anything yet?"

"Not really, other than some articles mentioning his father at the hospital where he works."

"Oh." There was another moment of awkward silence, or at least for Mike there was. "So, are you like the hacker of the group or something?"

She let a huff of laughter and looked back up at him with a smile playing around her lips. "I wouldn't exactly describe it as that, but I am very good at finding things out quickly using a computer. I was in MIS and IT before all this."

"How were you turned?" As soon as he said it Mike quickly hoped that it wasn't some strange vampire etiquette not to ask someone how they were turned.

Apparently not though. "Wrong place, wrong time. Luckily Debra came along and helped me," she answered simply and without emotion.

"Did you struggle with, you know...not killing," he asked in a small voice.

"Yes," she admitted hesitantly. "Everyone does. It's not like when you're human and your stomach just hurts when you're hungry. It's a lot more animalistic. You can start going after someone before you even realize what you're doing."

"How do you control it?"

She shrugged. "It just takes time. You have to learn to be more self aware and keep yourself well fed. Which is why you need to really think about whether or not you'll be able to handle this."

Mike flinched. "You don't think it's a good idea?"

"Oh, the idea _itself _is good. It's the risk you pose to everyone else that's the problem."

Mike could feel his chest tightening at the thought. "I-I don't think-"

"Look I don't mean to freak you out," she said, cutting him off. " Everyone adjusts differently. I just want you to know that you can't let your guard down."

Mike thought back to just a half hour ago when he had been writhing on the bed in pain. He hadn't noticed it creeping up on him at all. If there'd been a human in the room would he have even been able to control himself at all?

He was shaken out of his thoughts by the sound of approaching footsteps. Ryan, Debra, and a large man with short dark hair and a full beard entered the kitchen.

"Mike this is Tyson," Ryan introduced. "Tyson this Mike."

Tyson smiled broadly at him. "Nice to meet you Mike."

"We already told him about your idea but now we're gonna go over some ground rules," Ryan explained. "First off, you're going to need to drink blood every other day. Do you share a fridge with you roommate?"

"...no"

"Good, because we're gonna give you some blood to store and I don't think your roommate needs to see that. Only go to class once a week to somewhat keep up appearances. You don't need to be spending more time in enclosed spaces with people than you need to."

Mike inwardly cringed at the thought of missing class. He'd hadn't missed a single class since starting school and it was just another reminder that his normal life was over. The last bit only increased his fear that he was now a senseless killing machine.

Ryan continued on oblivious to his inner turmoil. "I'll be near campus the entire time so I want you to check in with me at least twice a day. You start to feel anything like you did earlier and you call me so I can get you off campus."

"So you'll just grab me and run? Won't that look suspicious?"

"I'll be a little more subtle than that."

Debra let a snort of laughter at that which she unsuccessfully tried to cover with her hand. Ryan glanced over at her and rolled his eyes but continued on.

"You feel even close to getting hungry when you're near other people I want you to hold your breath and get to a secluded place then call me. Also, rub some Vick's under your nose if you start noticing other people's scents too much."

Mike furrowed his brow. "Vick's?"

"Burns your damned nostrils so bad you can't smell a thing," Tyson explained with a grin. "Even decomposing bodies that have been inside a hot house for a week."

"Uhhhh..." Mike wasn't sure he wanted him to elaborate on how he knew that.

"We're gonna give you a few days to get used to your new body and senses before you go back. Tyson will help train you."

"...okay," Mike said slowly, surprised that Ryan wasn't going to be the one that did. It's not like he wasn't going to be watching him for the next two weeks anyway. "When do we start?"

"Right now," Tyson answered. He grabbed Mike by the sleeve and yanked him up causing him to yelp in surprise and stumble. "I'll show you all the cool tricks. You're as fast and strong as Superman now so I'll have to teach you how to get a handle on things."

"Are we gonna do that in the house," Mike asked. His stomach was already tying itself in knots as he tried to imagine whatever type of 'training' he had in mind.

"Definitely not," Debra answered for him.

"We like to keep what little we have nice," Diedre added on.

Tyson slung an arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry I have the perfect place in mind," he told him with a wave of his hand as he began leading him out of the kitchen. "A nice secluded place where no one can see or notice the damage."

"Try not to have too much fun," Ryan called after them.

Mike thought he detected a note of sarcasm. "Thanks," he muttered, positive Ryan would still be able to hear him

* * *

**AN: Originally Tyson helping Mike learn and get used to his new abilities was supposed to be part of this chapter but it got so long that I decided to split it up. Next chapter is probably going to be short as a result. Chapter 6 is when you'll get to see how Mike manages going back to school now that he's a vampire, Troy wondering where the hell he's been, and _maybe _an appearance from Joe :)**


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